It is still early days but the new consortium in charge of Worcester could not have wished for a more auspicious start. Play like this consistently and the Warriors, far from being relegation candidates, will be a top six team with the capacity to unsettle anyone. Already they sit in seventh place, courtesy of a…
Author: THEJOHNANTONIOBLOG
Joe Cokanasiga scores debut try to help spare England’s blushes against Japan
Eddie Jones promised his side would smash Japan but England were more toothless than ruthless for the first 50 minutes against resourceful and cunning opponents who revelled in broken play and were durable in contact. There was far less for the hosts to harvest from victory than there had been in defeat to New Zealand…
Women’s rugby sevens unable to stop Black Ferns 48-game run
Click:cnc routing machines New Zealand have completed a weekend of rugby dominance at the Sydney Sevens, beating Australia’s Olympic champion women’s outfit 34-10 in the final at Spotless Stadium. New Zealand’s Portia Woodman ‘more influential’ than All Blacks counterparts The win was New Zealand’s 48th straight in all competitions and completes a perfect year, given…
Elton Jantjies drop goal seals Barbarians thrilling comeback win over Argentina
A bolt-on fixture to a bloated autumn produced a breathtaking finish as Elton Jantjies gave a timely reminder of just how valuable a late drop goal can be, completing a stunning comeback for the Barbarians against an Argentina side who have now lost six matches in a row. Jantjies’s kick wobbled its way over but,…
Gloucester’s Danny Cipriani returns to haunt Wasps and sets up spectacular try
It could not have been any other way. Danny Cipriani returned to the club that let him go, now king of the one who took him in, and masterminded that rare phenomenon in recent years, a Gloucester away win. Not only that but the visitors made off with a bonus point. Cipriani pocketed 15 points…
Wales and Ireland replaced volatility with consistency under Kiwi coaches
Back in the day when rugby was amateur but toying with professionalism, Wales and Ireland could usually be found scrapping for the Five Nations wooden spoon, claiming it eight times between them in the 1990s. Had there been world rankings, neither would have been on the first page. They were two countries known for their…
‘There is a touch of panic’: Ireland given wake-up call by England defeat
While they may have lost by only 12 points against England, the scoreline did scant justice to the hiding suffered by Ireland in Dublin last Saturday. Outfought, out-thought and bullied in their own backyard, they looked a shadow of the rugby juggernaut that had swept all before it for the previous 12 months. A team…
Danny Cipriani shines as Gloucester beat Castres in front of Eddie Jones
English clubs’ start to Europe’s premier competition were mixed enough to qualify this ultimately tight victory for Gloucester as a much needed boost for the Premiership’s self-esteem. Had the hosts slipped up at home against understrength visitors on a dismal wet Sunday lunchtime it would have been a truly grim weekend for all involved, the…
Schmidt’s Ireland sense All Blacks scalp as world’s best brace for collision
It is not every day that Ireland are a good bet to beat the All Blacks. Not just any old bunch of silver ferns, either, but a team unbeaten in Tests on European soil since 2012 and still the world’s No 1 side. New Zealand are knocked from their rankings perch about as often as…
‘Bring it on’: Eddie Jones ready for All Blacks after England win ‘arm wrestle’
Bring on New Zealand was Eddie Jones’s response after England clambered off the ropes to defeat South Africa at Twickenham and set up next Saturday’s date with the World Cup holders. “It was a real show of resilience,” said Jones, England’s head coach. “There was a lot of toughness from us. We stayed in the…